Shoe lasting machines

ABSTRACT

A shoe lasting machine having a block yieldably pressing the margin of a shoe upper against a drive roll for tensioning the upper heightwise of a last and for feeding the upper margin lengthwise, the block being yieldingly pivotable to increase the entering space between the block and the periphery of the roll to accommodate increased thickness of the upper margin fed into the bite between the roll and block.

United States Patent Steane 1 1 June 6, 1972 54] SHOE LASTING MACHINES 2,805,431 9/1957 Schwabe ..12/s.3

906,004 10 1961 8. [72] Inventor: Richard A. Stenne, Leicester, England 3 I Prue 12/ 3 X [73] Assignee: USM Corporation, Boston, Mass. Primary Examiner-Patrick D. Lawson Attorne Richard A. Wis, Richard B. Me 1e and Vincent A. 22 Filed: Jan. 18, 1971 white y 8 Y [21] Appl. No.: 107,179 7 [57] ABSTRACT [30] Foreign Application Priority Data A shoe lasting machine having a block yieldably pressing the Jan 17 1970 Great Bmain 2 380,70 margin of a shoe upper against a drive roll for tensioning the upper heightwise of a last and for feeding the upper margin 52 US Cl ..12/a.3 knflthwise bang Yiddinlly Piwmble 51 Int. Cl. ..A43d 21/00 the Wing SPace heme" block and Periphery of [58] Field of Search ..12/8.3, 9, 12, 1 B to accommodate incrcased thickness of the vppcr margin fed into the bite between the roll and block.

[56] References 7 Claims, 4 Drawing figures UNITED STATES PATENTS I 2,397,369 3/1946 Quinn et a1. ..l2/8.3

PATENTEDJUN 6 I972 3.667, 077 sum 1 0r 2 lnuenfor Pic/z a rd A. Slfnne [35/ his Aftorney Wawfi PATENTEDJun s 1972 saw 2 or 2 SHOE LASTING MACHINES BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION There are commonly available shoe upper conforming machines which operate progressively along the margin of a shoe upper to tension the upper heightwise of a supporting last and to adhesively attach the margin of the upper to an insole carried on the supporting last. One such machine includes a rotatable tensioning roll and a pressure applying member between which the margin of the shoe upper is fed for drawing the upper heightwise of the last. The pressure applying member may be yieldably mounted so as to permit uppers of various thicknesses to be operated on. The member usually comprises a shaped block adapted to engage one surface of the margin of the upper, the shape of the block being such as partially to surround the roll with a surface of the block adapted to fold'the margin of the upper against the insole. There usually is also provided a rotary wiping member which presses the upper firmly against the insole. Such a machine operates satisfactorily except where marginal portions of an upper having a thickened area, for example, a bulky seam at the inside of the waist region. of the shoe, are to be operated upon with difficulty being encountered with the feeding of the upper between the roll and the block.

The present invention provides improvements which overcome such difficulty. In accordance with one feature of the invention, a shoe upper conforming machine is provided with a driven tensioning roll having a helically ribbed peripheral upper engaging surface, a pressure applying member between which and the tensioning roll the margin of the shoe upper may be fed, and resilient means for urging the pressure applying member toward the tensioning roll so as yieldably to press said margin against the peripheral upper engaging surface of the tensioning roll. The pressure applying member has a smoothly curved operative side providing an entering guide surface and a folding surface between which is a concave, part cylindrical, recess which extends heightwise of the operative side of the pressure applying member and has an operative surface which partially surrounds the tensioning roll. Rotation of the tensioning roll acts on the margin of the upper gripped between the pressure applying member and the tensioning roll to draw the upper heightwise about the last and assist in feeding the margin of the upper past the roll. The pressure applying member is mounted in association with the resilient means, for pivotal movement about a heightwise axis to permit movement of at least the portion of the member provided with the guide surface in a direction away from the tensioning roll independently of the movement in a similar direction permitted by the resilient means, so as to facilitate entryof a relatively thick area of the marginal portions of the upper between the pressure applying member and the tensioning roll. There will be given, with reference to the accompanying drawings, a detailed description of the illustrative machine. It will be understood that the description is given only by way of example of the invention and not by way of limitation thereof.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an operating head portion of an illustrative machine including operative instrumentalities of the machine, parts being broken away or indicated in chain-dotted lines for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a pressure applying member, with part of a mounting bracket therefor broken away;

FIG. 3 is a view in vertical section through actuating means of the illustrative machine; and

FIG. 4 is a perspective representation of a shoe being fed to the operating instrumentalities of the illustrative machine.

' The operating head of the illustrative machine comprises a rotatable updraw member in the form of a cylindrical tensioning roll 10, a pressure applying member in the form of a block 12, a rotatable wiping member 14 and adhesive dispensing means including a nozzle 16. The tensioning roll is provided with helical flutes 18 and ribs 20 (seen in FIG. 4) and is mounted on the lower end of a shaft 22 which is rotatably mounted in a forwardly extending portion of a frame 24 of the machine. The shaft is arranged to be driven in a counterclockwise direction, as viewed in FIG. 2, by means of a motor (not shown). The block 12 is provided with a smoothly curved operative side 84 comprising a guide surface and a folding surface 90, between which is a concave, part cylindrical recess 98 which extends heightwise of the block and is arranged partially to surround the tensioning roll 10 as shown in FIG. 2. The block is arranged so that during operation of the machine the marginal portions of an upper of a shoe presented to the machine are guided toward the roll 10 by the guide surface 100 and are then wrapped partially around the peripheral surface of the roll and gripped thereagainst so that, on rotation of the roll, forces exerted by the flutes 18 and ribs 20 on the marginal portions of the upper act to tension the upper, draw it heightwise of the last and assist in feeding said portions between the block 12 and the roll 10. The marginal portions of the upper are then folded inwardly of the shoe toward the insole by the folding surface 90 of the block and are laid against the insole by a wiping surface on the underside of the block so that they may be pressed firmly against the insole by the rotary wiping member 14, being wiped inwardly of the edge of the insole by the action of helical ribs 54 (FIG. 1) of the wiping member.

The block 12 is mounted in a bracket 26 on a pin 102 about which the block pivots as limited by an arcuate slot 104 in the block which receives a pin 106 depending from the bracket 26. A compression spring 110 seated in a recess 112 of the bracket bears against a lug 108 of the block to bias the block in a clockwise direction about the pivot pin 102 to the limit allowed by the slot 104. The bracket 26 is secured to a rod 28 mounted for axial movement in the machine frame. The opposite end of the rod 28 carries a piston 1 14 in a cylinder 116 formed in a casting 118 secured to the frame. The casting 118 is provided with a slot 120 through which passes an abutment member 122 mounted on a flat 124 of the rod 28. In the normal operation of the machine, air is supplied under pressure to the cylinder at the left of the piston in a forward position and biasing the rod 28, the bracket 26 and therefore the block 12 toward the tensioning roll 10. Adjustment of a stop screw 27 carried by the bracket 26 determines the most forward position of the block and hence determines the spacing between the block and the roll. The thickness of an upper as it is introduced between the roll and the block forces the rod 28 rearwardly in the machine against the pressure in the cylinder 116. Such movement of the rod 28 is arranged to activate adhesive dispensing means (not shown except for the nozzle 16). To this end a lever 128 is pivoted at 127 on a boss 126 carried by the casting 118, the lever having an abutment surface 130 and a stop screw 132. Also secured to the casting 118 is a bracket 134 carrying a microswitch 136 having a plunger 138.

The lever 128 is spring-biased so that normally the stop screw 7 132 depresses the plunger 138 of the microswitch 136 .to maintain the microswitch in a normally inoperative condition. When the rod 28 is moved rearwardly the abutment member 122 bears against the abutment surface 130 causing the lever 128 to pivot about 127 so that the stop screw 132 releases the plunger I38 and the microswitch closes to activate the adhesive dispensing means so that adhesive is supplied through the nozzle 16 to the angle between marginal portions of the upper and of the insole adjacent the exit side of the roll 10. The block 12 is movable rearwardly in the machine other than by introduction of an upper by supplying air tothe cylinder 116 through a port 140 to the right of the piston 114, while the other side of the cylinder is opened to exhaust. However, the

pressure normally supplied to the left end of the cylinder is arranged to maintain a pressure switch (not shown) in an operative condition, the switch being in the circuit through which the adhesive applying means is activated. Thus, when the left side of the piston is open to exhaust, the pressure switch is in an inoperable condition, and even though the microswitch 114 is operated by movement of rod 28 the circuit is not operable to activate the adhesive applying means.

In the operation of the illustrative machine, the operator presents a shoe to the operating instrumentalities so that the margin of the upper is guided between the tensioning roll and the block 12 with the assistance of the guide surface 100 of the block. The upper is tensioned by means of the tensioning roll 10 as above explained and the marginal portion of the upper is folded inwardly of the shoe by the folding surface 90. When the upper is guided initially between the roll and the block 12, the block is moved rearwardly in the machine and causes the switch 136 to activate the adhesive applying means. Adhesive is supplied from the nonle 16 to the angle between the marginal portion of the upper and the insole adjacent the exit side of the roll 10 so that when the wiping member 14 eventually wipes the marginal portion of the upper firmly against the insole the upper is adhesively secured in place. Where an upper which has a relatively thick seam, for instance, as shown at 142 in FIG. 4, is encountered, the bulk of the seam may jam between the roll and the block. However, the block is able to pivot slightly in the direction of the arrow in FIGS. 2 and 4 (against the spring 110) as the thick seam enters betweenthe guide surface 100 and the roll 10. As the seam is drawn into the region of the recess 98, the entire block is forced further rearwardly against the pressure in the cylinder 1 l6 and the spring 1 10 returns the block 12 about the pivot pin 102 to its original position relative to the bracket 26.

It will be seen that the pivotal movement of the block permits at least that portion thereof bearing the guide surface 100 to move away from the tensioning roll 10 independently of the pressure in the cylinder 116 so as to facilitate entry of the seam between the surface 100 and the roll 10, i.e., providing a temporary widening of the opening therebetween.

It should be understood that the foregoing is a description of one preferred embodiment of the invention and that various substitutions of equivalent elements may be made without departing from the scope of the invention defined by the following claims.

I claim:

1. A shoe lasting machine having a driven roll for tensioning a shoe upper heightwise of a last and for feeding the upper margin lengthwise as it is tensioned, a block shaped to extend partially around the periphery of the roll and having an entrance portion for guiding the upper between the block and the roll, yieldable means for urging the block toward the roll for pressing the upper against the roll, means mounting the block on the yieldable means for pivoting movement for enlarging the space between said entrance portion and the roll to accommodate passage of thicker parts of the upper.

2. A machine according to claim 1 in which the yieldable means includes a fluid operated piston and cylinder device and the block is pivotally mounted on the end of a rod connected to the piston.

3. A machine according to claim 2 in which the block pivots about an axis extending substantially parallel to the axis of said roll.

4. A machine according to claim 1 in which'the block is mounted on the yieldable means for bodily movement toward and away from the roll and for swinging movement about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said roll.

5. A machine according to claim 4 in which the block is resiliently biased in its swinging movement to provide a predetermined entrance space between the entrance portion of the block and the roll, said entrance portion being swung away from the roll by thicker parts of the upper to provide an enlarged entrance space.

6. A machine according to claim 5 in which the thicker parts of the upper also move the block bodily away from the roll upon passage between the roll and the block.

7. A machine according to claim 4 in which the yieldable means includes a fluid operated piston and cylinder device. 

1. A shoe lasting machine having a driven roll for tensioning a shoe upper heightwise of a last and for feeding the upper margin lengthwise as it is tensioned, a block shaped to extend partially around the periphery of the roll and having an entrance portion for guiding the upper between the block and the roll, yieldable means for urging the block toward the roll for pressing the upper against the roll, mEans mounting the block on the yieldable means for pivoting movement for enlarging the space between said entrance portion and the roll to accommodate passage of thicker parts of the upper.
 2. A machine according to claim 1 in which the yieldable means includes a fluid operated piston and cylinder device and the block is pivotally mounted on the end of a rod connected to the piston.
 3. A machine according to claim 2 in which the block pivots about an axis extending substantially parallel to the axis of said roll.
 4. A machine according to claim 1 in which the block is mounted on the yieldable means for bodily movement toward and away from the roll and for swinging movement about an axis substantially parallel to the axis of said roll.
 5. A machine according to claim 4 in which the block is resiliently biased in its swinging movement to provide a predetermined entrance space between the entrance portion of the block and the roll, said entrance portion being swung away from the roll by thicker parts of the upper to provide an enlarged entrance space.
 6. A machine according to claim 5 in which the thicker parts of the upper also move the block bodily away from the roll upon passage between the roll and the block.
 7. A machine according to claim 4 in which the yieldable means includes a fluid operated piston and cylinder device. 